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Uextias (East Celt Raiders)
The Uextias are fierce warriors who have chosen to fight nude, their disdain for armour equal only to their disdain for fear. This does make them much for susceptible to missiles, and as such they should be instructed to close with the enemy lines as soon as possible. Description Shorn of armour they charge forth, wolves set loose upon the sheepfold. Once the mountains were a wall against the wild folk to the north, but no longer is this true. The Uextias are such wild men. That they possess their own rich culture and laws matters not to the peoples of Hellas and Italia. To these southern peoples the Uextias are little more than naked, steel wielding savages. It is this disdain for armour, from which the Uextias gain their speed, which so disgusts, intrigues and impresses the Romani and Hellenes. Bare flesh will not protect you like mail and leather, but it may mean you are fleet footed enough to avoid danger in the first place. And what sort of man, other than one devoid of fear, would stand before his foes naked as the day he was born! Historically, the 4th and 3rd centuries BC witnessed a new development in the relations between the communities of temperate and Mediterranean Europe. Possibly as a result of increasing population, combined with a climatic deterioration, sizeable numbers of people from northern Europe migrated south. Communities either side of the Alps had long been in contact, sharing common languages and aspects of culture in some instances. However, it was the episodes of violence which occurred during this period, including the sacking of Roma, which marked it out as different. The Uextias represent the sort of warriors who took advantage of these opportunities for plunder and prestige. It is very likely that the fluid social conditions which existed at this time for young men like the Uextias also resulted in larger groupings such as the Uolkae being formed. These naked warriors should not be confused with the famous Gaisatoi, who represent a professional mercenary force of a later date. Instead, the Uextias are opportunist young warriors who have chosen to fight nude. Although the Keltoi made use of a variety of armour types, and indeed were proficient in the production of iron helmets and mail, it was their practice of going into battle nude which made a lasting impression on Mediterranean minds. Nudity was certainly commonplace in the Mediterranean world, but it was confined to the home, gymnasium and slaves. To the Hellenes and Romani the idea of going into battle nude was something very strange. It is possibly due to this reason that so many Mediterranean depictions of Gallic warriors show them as being nude. The most famous of these are arguably the Dying Gaul and Galatian Suicide from Pergamon. However numerous other examples exist. These include the terracotta frieze from Civitalba, which depicts looting Gauls fleeing from danger, a terracotta model of a naked Gaul being crushed by a war elephant from Myrina, as well as several terracotta figurines from Aigyptos in the style of naked Galatians. Nude Keltoi, or other barbaroi, were also depicted on oil lamps, and were common on auxiliary cavalry tombstones along the Romani British and Rhine frontiers. Usage These unruly infantry are best used offensively and nothing else. They are armed with javelins, equipped with lethal swords and can unleash a powerful charge that enables them to defeat enemy units in melee combat. Being equipped with no armor makes them perfect for unleashing surprise flank attacks towards unsuspecting enemies. Being equipped with no armor but their shields makes them quite weak defensively as well-armored infantry can withstand their devastating attacks while missile units will easily riddle them with javelins and arrows, not to mention a powerful heavy cavalry charge will see them dead. Category:Units Category:Units available only in EB2 Category:Boii Category:Epeiros Category:Getai Category:Makedonia Category:Mercenary